Listening To Your Body

Hello Linda Frazee, here with 40 year of experience of teaching and coaching individuals to manage stress and change in order to achieve success and satisfaction.

I want to talk to you today about the language of your body. Not your body language! That’s a different topic! Today is about the messages your body sends to you and the question of how well you are listening and responding.

Now more than ever it is vitally important to listen to the language of your body. Did you know our bodies have a unique language all our own? Have you experienced your body communicating with you? Of course you have! Simple messages like when you are hungry or have to go to the bathroom or are feeling sick are very clear communications from your body that you receive every day. Some of us tend to ignore even those simple messages from your body. But, there are more urgent messages that we ignore.

Just a few years ago I ignored some very serious messages my body was sending me. After about ten days of discomfort I knew I was having some unusual symptoms so I decided to meditate. In the meditation I heard - GO TO THE HOSPITAL! I did go and that action saved my life! That was a shout out from my body! But, I almost blew it by being too busy to listen!

My body did everything it could to get my attention, but until I slowed down and meditated, I minimized what I was feeling in an effort to get things done!

I would like to tell you that since then, I listen to every message I get with more intensity and respect. And to some degree, that is true, I do listen and eventually respond. But, I am still working on shrinking the gap between the message and taking action!

Why is it so important to listen to our bodies? Because it knows more than what we just think, or imagine, It is wired up to all of our intricate internal systems. And it is our internal guidance system! We are so impressed with the guidance systems on our phones that guide us to an unknown location. And yet, we walk around all the time with our own internal guidance system that is even more powerful!

One of the biggest messages the body sends that we tend to ignore, especially when we are young, is pain. The popular theory of “no pain - no gain” may be a good one to employ when you first start an exercise program. But, for many people that has become their personal motto. It doesn’t apply in every situation Pushing through pain that might be a warning sign is just not a good idea!

Another way our body talks to us is through our feelings. When we are sad the best thing to do is cry. When we are angry the ideal way to release that emotion is exercise, throwing a ball against an outside wall, or hand writing an angry letter and then shredding it. Yelling or saying what you want to, but didn’t, in private to an empty chair or in your car by yourself is also a valid way to release your anger.
And the last way your body speaks to you that may be the one most ignored, is being tired. That is a very important message that often gets over ridden. Especially, if you don’t think you have a GOOD reason to be tired. So if you cleaned your garage all day Saturday you may let yourself rest more on Sunday. If you worked your usual hours on Wednesday, you may be critical of your body’s desire to go to bed early that night. Being tired is a symptom. There can be many reasons for that feeling but you don’t have to understand them all in order to honor your need to rest.

I have a challenge for you. For the next week watch less news (which increases stress) and listen more to the internal guidance system of your body. If you are in pain, tend to it. If you are emotional, let yourself identify what feeling you are having and express it in one way or another. If it is not appropriate to be emotional at the moment, write down how you are feeling and express it in your car or later at home. And if you are tired, let yourself rest or go to bed early, with no guilt!

For more ways to be the best you can be, visit my website, LindaFrazee.com. I do intuitive coaching for what comes next.

Linda Frazee
Intuitive Coach for What Comes Next